Gov’t peace panel urged: Probe Lapanday shooting

A militant peasant group has urged the government peace panel to investigate the shooting of farmers in December last year involving guards of the Lorenzo clan-owned banana firm Lapanday Foods Corp.

At least 10 farmers from the Madaum Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Inc. (MARBAI) were wounded after a clash with LFC plantation guards over a 145-hectare parcel of land in Tagum City which both parties were claiming. LFC is owned by former Agriculture Secretary Luis “Cito” Lorenzo Jr.

READ: Mediate on land, farmers, Lorenzo firm told

In a statement, the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) lamented the government’s supposed inaction over the famers’ concerns, saying they sent a letter to the government peace panel “recommending that it acts on the issue and demands of the MARBAI farmworkers.”

“This includes among others to investigate and hold Lapanday Foods Corporation (LFC) accountable for the frustrated killing and wounding of farmers last December; file criminal, civil and administrative charges against the security guards and police; LFC must respect, recognize and keep the farmworkers in peaceful and uninterrupted possession and ownership of their land; and trumped up charges against the farmworkers must be dropped,” said Danilo Ramos, UNA secretary general, in a statement.

The Department of Agrarian Reform has reinstated the ownership of the disputed land to the 159 farmers under Marbai, directing Lapanday to “desist from interfering” with farmers’ operations in the area and providing for the eviction of LFC security personnel.

READ: Farmers get back land from banana firm

“Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael ‘Ka Paeng’ Mariano tried to install the farmworkers on April 21, 2017, which the Philippine National Police sabotaged. The PNP stated that they were not ready to counter the threats of the 700 security guards and goons of the LFC who were ordered to fight it out,” Ramos said.

Ramos said the group also sent a similar letter to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) panel so it could raise the issue to their government counterparts in the peace talks.

READ: Banana farmers pushed out of land awarded to them by DAR in Tagum

“This is also the reason why 200 farmworkers from MARBAI traveled from Mindanao to Manila and camp out at Mendiola so that President Duterte can intercede on their behalf. Especially after the President announced during Labor Day to occupy oligarch property. One such oligarch is the Lorenzo family, which not only owns LFC but also a sugar mill and disputed properties in Hacienda Luisita,” he said.

“If the GRP is really interested in resolving the root causes of the armed rebellion, through socioeconomic reforms, it should not ignore one such issues as those from MARBAI,” Ramos added. YG/JE/rga